Todd Akin, Paul Ryan, and Rape ››
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Dianana @ August 21, 2012 11:49 AM
TV star-turned-conservative activist Kirk Cameron came to the defense of embattled GOP Senate hopeful Todd Akin Tuesday, saying that the Missouri congressman’s controversial comments about “legitimate rape” came in the context of his opposition to abortion.“He clearly is a pro-life advocate, and for that, I respect him,” said the former “Growing Pains” star, speaking on CNN’s “Starting Point.” “He said that he misspoke and that he misphrased something and that he apologized.”
Over the weekend, Akin told a local news outlet that in the case of “legitimate rape,” female biological defenses often prevent pregnancy – a claim that has been debunked by doctors and researchers. Under intense pressure from top GOP brass to withdraw from the race, Akin has since walked back that line, even issuing a new ad in which he asks forgiveness for his comments.
Cameron seemed to sympathize with that request.
“I’m the kind of person that believes that I would like to be evaluated by my entire career and my entire life, not two words that I would misspeak and then later apologize for,” he said. “So he’s in a tough spot.”
Cameron, who now works in the world of film and television, often producing material with a religious bent, emphasized the importance of watching the entire clip of Akin’s interview.
“…By watching the entire video, I get the sense there that this is a guy who is defending life and he wants to go to all lengths he can to protect the life of the unborn,” Cameron said. “And I think that’s the message that comes through when I watch his video.”
Why is anyone asking Kirk Cameron his opinion about anything?
Jason Voorheees @ August 21, 2012 11:59 AM
.
the body may be finished, but the forehead keeps on growing.
Jason Voorheees @ August 21, 2012 12:05 PM
in a way this was all kind of a good thing, because it gave us a really clear window, however brief, into the kind of festering crazy that lies beneath the suits and ties and polite behavior of the Republican base, the Tea Party, and every other bible-banging, creationism-teaching, load-swallowing asshole struggling for control of our country like an aggressive cancer.
ScrewFlanders @ August 21, 2012 12:36 PM
i dont think the GOP has ever been polite. i wish the democrats would stop being pussies and show half the balls these loonies show.
hesinparties @ August 21, 2012 2:17 PM
He will win. His image has taken a toll but is still in the lead. In a poll taken on Monday of 500 voters only 6 percent of Republican women said they planned to vote for McCaskill. People will refuse to go outside their party lines.
Jason Voorheees @ August 21, 2012 3:31 PM
yup.Republican convention platform committee approves strict anti-abortion plank
08/21/2012
By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff
Republicans gathering this week in Tampa drafted official platform language and potential language calling for the adoption of a constitutional amendment to curb abortion rights.
The RNC's platform committee voted Tuesday to draft language related to abortion, which calls for "a human life amendment to the Constitution," along with "legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children."
The committee drafting the platform that will be voted upon at next week’s Republican National Convention has approved a strict anti-abortion amendment that has taken on special resonance in the aftermath of Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s comment about rape and abortion.
The 110-member panel, meeting today in Tampa, Fla., passed a so-called Human Life Amendment that calls for a ban on abortion without mention of the exceptions for victims of rape or incest.
“Faithful to the ‘self-evident’ truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed,” said platform language obtained by CNN. “We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children.”
"I think as far as the details of some of these things, like an exception for rape or life of the mother, these are not uncommon differences that candidates have and don't share some of the detail on some of those exceptions," Priebus said on MSNBC. "This is the platform of the Republican Party; it's not the platform of Mitt Romney."
The party adopted identical language in its 2004 and 2008 platforms, which also didn't specifically stipulate an exception to bans on abortion in cases of rape, incest, or the health of the mother, but it has become more politically loaded since Akin, a US House member from Missouri, was criticized for the answer he gave when asked if abortion were legitimate in cases of rape.
“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down,” Akin said during a television interview aired on Sunday.
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, chairman of the RNC’s platform committee thanked the committee for “affirming our respect for human life” today before moving onto other platform issues.
The platform will come up for a vote of the convention delegates on Monday.
Dianana @ August 21, 2012 3:46 PM
Originally posted by: Jason Voorheees
yup.
Republican convention platform committee approves strict anti-abortion plank
08/21/2012
By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff
Republicans gathering this week in Tampa drafted official platform language and potential language calling for the adoption of a constitutional amendment to curb abortion rights.
The RNC's platform committee voted Tuesday to draft language related to abortion, which calls for "a human life amendment to the Constitution," along with "legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children."
The committee drafting the platform that will be voted upon at next week’s Republican National Convention has approved a strict anti-abortion amendment that has taken on special resonance in the aftermath of Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s comment about rape and abortion.
The 110-member panel, meeting today in Tampa, Fla., passed a so-called Human Life Amendment that calls for a ban on abortion without mention of the exceptions for victims of rape or incest.
“Faithful to the ‘self-evident’ truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed,” said platform language obtained by CNN. “We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children.”
"I think as far as the details of some of these things, like an exception for rape or life of the mother, these are not uncommon differences that candidates have and don't share some of the detail on some of those exceptions," Priebus said on MSNBC. "This is the platform of the Republican Party; it's not the platform of Mitt Romney."
The party adopted identical language in its 2004 and 2008 platforms, which doesn't specifically stipulate an exception to bans on abortion in cases of rape, incest, or the health of the mother, but it has become even more politically loaded since Akin, a US House member from Missouri, was criticized for the answer he gave when asked if abortion were legitimate in cases of rape.
“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down,” Akin said during a television interview aired on Sunday.
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, chairman of the RNC’s platform committee thanked the committee for “affirming our respect for human life” today before moving onto other platform issues.
The platform will come up for a vote of the convention delegates on Monday.
I read this earlier, and as usual...
“Faithful to the ‘self-evident’ truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed,” said platform language obtained by CNN. “We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children.”
...There is no mention of the WOMAN (you know, the fully developed human being) who would be carrying the zygote.
Jason Voorheees @ August 22, 2012 6:20 AM
August 21, 2012 Romney's 2008 Campaign Linked To Pro-Life Doctor John Willke, Todd Akin's 'Forcible Rape' Expert
BY James Arkin
During his 2008 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney welcomed the endorsement of a pro-life doctor linked to Rep. Todd Akin's widely condemned statement that "legitimate rape" rarely leads to pregnancy.
Dr. John C. Willke is a leading proponent of the view that women are unlikely to become pregnant by "forcible rape," a theory he laid out in a 1999 article on the subject, was the expert Todd Akin in his own assertion of the theory.
Akin, a Missouri Republican now running for the U.S. Senate, said an interview with KTVI-TV in St. Louis on Sunday that "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
After his comments sparked an uproar, Akin quickly said he "misspoke."
Willke, meanwhile, defended his opinion in interviews on Monday, including one with The New York Times.
"This is a traumatic thing -- she's, shall we say, she's uptight," Willke told the Times. "She is frightened, tight, and so on. And sperm, if deposited in her vagina, are less likely to be able to fertilize. The tubes are spastic."
Willke, the president of a pro-life group, the Life Issues Institute, and also a physician, has been active in the movement for decades. In the 1970s, he wrote a book called Handbook on Abortion, which he updated and republished in seven editions over the years. In 1984, he helped found the International Right to Life Federation, a group that connects global pro-life groups. And in 1999, he wrote an essay saying that pregnancy from rape is rare. That’s the piece getting cited in the media now.
In that essay, Willke argued that factors such as physical trauma, stress, infertility, and birth control make it highly unlikely for women to get pregnant from rape. “There’s no greater emotional trauma that can be experienced by a woman than an assault rape,” he said. “This can radically upset her possibility of ovulation, fertilization, implantation, and even nurturing of a pregnancy.”
He offered up a complex mathematical calculation in the essay on how he arrived at his theory that pregnancy from rape is extremely rare.
Amid a growing outcry for Akin to drop out of the Senate race, the Romney campaign joined those criticizing his comment.
In 2007, however, Romney's campaign had embraced Willke -- who served as president of the National Right to Life Committee for a decade. In a statement announcing Willke's endorsement, his campaign said the doctor " was a leading voice in the pro-life community" and would be "an important surrogate for Governor Romney's pro-life and pro-family agenda."
ScrewFlanders @ August 22, 2012 6:29 AM
fox news has been spinning it that the "mainstream media" is trying to tie romney with akin and his comments.
crunkmoose @ August 22, 2012 10:31 AM
"...There is no mention of the WOMAN (you know, the fully developed human being) who would be carrying the zygote."Of course not. Women don't matter to the GOP.
